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Sant Bani Magazine

The Voice of the Saints

April - May 2001 Volume 25, No. 10 & LI I

Sant Bani Magazine The Voice of the Saints

April / May 2001 - Volume 25, Numbers 10 & 11

He Cooled Down My Heated Heart Sant Ajaib Singh Ji a greeting talk, June 17,1983

Become the Meditator of Shabd Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

a Satsang of June 18,1983

The First Satsang I Ever Heard Richard Shannon a personal recollection

Right Understanding Exalted Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

a Satsang, reprinted from Sat Sandesh

Only the Fortunate Ones Obey Sant Ajaib Singh Ji questions O answers

October 3,1981

Photo credits: Front cover, pp. 14. 23, Jonas Gerard; p. 4, Bobbe Baker; pp. 7, 10, Charlie Boynton; p. 39. David Hellon; p. 43. Sant Bani Archives: back cover, John Pianowski.

SANT BANIIThe Voice of the Saints is published by Sant Bani Ashram, Inc., Sanbornton, N.H., U.S.A., for the purpose of disseminating the teachings of Sant Ajaib Singh Ji, of His Master, Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, and of the Masters who preceded them. Editor Emeritus: Russell Perkins. Editor: Richard Shannon, with help by: Lori Budington, Amy Kaufman, Wendy Schongalla, Susan Shannon, and Cab Vinton.

Annual subscription rate in the U.S. is $30.00. Individual and back issues $2.50. Foreign and special mailing rates available on request. All checks and money orders should be made payable to Sant Bani Ashram, and all payments from outside the U.S. should be on an International Money Order or a check drawn on a New York bank (with a micro-encoded number). Correspondence should be addressed to Sant Bani Ashram, Sanbornton, N.H. 03269, U.S.A. Articles, including stories and poems, on the theory and practice of Sant Mat, are most welcome. Views expressed in individual articles are not necessarily the views of the journal. Articles are edited for clarity and may be cut to fit available space.

He Cooled Down My Heated Heart Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

n THANK MY Supreme Father, Al- mighty Kirpal. I am not able to

thank Him; I am trying to thank Him. Who can sing His glory? Who can thank Him in the full sense? He came into this world and He cooled down my heated heart. That is why I thank Him.

When God showers grace on us, our sleeping fate gets awakened, and with the grace of Almighty Lord we come across a perfect Master. When God brings us in the compa- ny of the perfect Master He gives us the knowledge and, sitting in the lap of the Master, we make our spir- itual journey.

When any soul comes from the heavens and gets birth in this mor- tal world, she is born in a very high family with all the material com- forts, and getting all those things that soul thinks that no one else is like him in the world. He becomes full of egoism. But Saints and Ma- hatmas also come into this world, and even though They come from the higher planes and They come only for the sake of the souls, still

This greeting talk was given June 17, 1983, at Sant Bani Ashram, Bogota, Colombia.

They don't have any egoism within Them, since They come into this world only for the sake of the other souls.

Whenever I come on Tour I al- ways have the same things to say. I always say that I don't come here with any mission of my own. What- ever I have learned sitting at the feet of Beloved Master and whatev- er love I have received from Him, with His grace, I come here to share that love [and knowledge] with all of you. I never have any desire in my heart to feel that I am some- thing. I am a poor soul, and I come here only to share the love of Mas- ter which I have received from Him.

I am very happy to come to your country. Once again I would like to thank Supreme Father Kirpal, be- cause He came so far and planted the saplings of Naam and He cooled down the heated hearts.

I am very happy to see all the brothers and sisters who have come from America and Canada. and from other places as well. I see all of you as my own family, as one family, and we all are very fortunate ones that Supreme Father Kirpal has giv- en us the opportunity to do His de- votion - because you know how

April / May 2001

many souls do the devotion in this have been granted the opportunity Iron Age. I t is only because of the to do lIis deitotion. Wc should take kindness and grace of Almighty Kir- advantage of being here by doing pal that wo have come Itere and we 011s meditation.

Become the Meditator of Shabd Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

Hail, hail, hail, hail, 0 Dear One, what glory can I sing of Shabd?

HIS IS THE BANI of Sri Hazur Swami Ji Maharaj. Saints and

Mahatmas, Beloveds of God, Dev- otees of God, neither come into this world to form any new religion, nor do They come into this world to break the old religions. God comes in this world in the form of a hu- man being for those souls who have been crying for Him and who have been suffering in this world. When they pray to Almighty God, He comes in the form of the Saints and Mahatmas.

There was not even a single physical comfort which I did not get after coming into this physical plane. God Almighty had given all the physical comforts and all the material things to me, but even so, in my heart, I always had some longing. I was longing for that Al- mighty Lord Whom I had never seen. Whenever I would see any- one dying, I would start wonder-

This Satsang was given June 18, 1983, a t Sant Bani Ashram, Bogo- ta, Colombia.

ing, "Where has this person gone?" I always used to think, "When ev- eryone has to leave this world one day, why not solve this mystery of death while living?"

When the child weeps for the mother, the mother cannot control herself and no matter how many im- portant works she is doing, she will at once leave all those works and come and embrace the child.

I went to every religion and so- ciety, and whatever rites and ritu- als they told me to do, I performed them. I did not complain even if I didn't get anything from them. Af- ter doing all the outer rites and rit- uals, when I went to Baba Bishan Das, He lovingly asked me wheth- er I had gotten any peace from do- ing all those rites and rituals or not. Before I had gone to see Baba Bish- an Das I had performed the austeri- ty in which I sat with four fires surrounding me. So lovingly He told me, "There is a lot of fire go- ing on in the within - there are the fires of lust, anger, greed, at- tachment and egoism. How can you expect peace by sitting near a fire when you already have a lot of fire going on within you?"

We are children of God. If we

April /May 2001

will call for God, definitely He will come to rescue us. When a child weeps and the mother cannot con- trol herself, how can our Almighty Father control Himself and not come to us if we cry for Him?

The papiha, the rainbird, drinks only raindrops. He will not drink any other water, no matter how thirsty he is. He prefers to die rath- er than open his beak for water from other sources. When he calls for the raindrops, God listens to his voice and orders the clouds to form rain and satisfy his thirst. When God can hear the voice of the birds, do you think that He will not listen to our voice? Whenever we will cry for Him, whenever we will call Him, He will definitely come to help us.

In the same way, this poor Ajaib wept bitterly in the forest and in the wilderness. He said, "0 Al- mighty Lord, I am blind and You can see everything. I cannot see You by my own efforts. I can meet You only if You make it possible." That is why when this poor Ajaib wept bitterly for Him, that cry of Ajaib pierced the heart of Kirpal. He left His throne in Sach Khand and He came down into the world to satisfy the thirst of Ajaib.

The souls are blind; God can see everything. It was not within the reach of Ajaib to meet Kirpal by himself. It was only because of His grace that I could see Him. Lord Kirpal came into this world and He

satisfied the thirst of all the people according to their desires. It was not in the hands of anyone to real- ize Kirpal by his own efforts. It was all His grace.

If we worldly people could have seen the reality of God and the Saints we would not have given Them a hard time when They came. History tells us that we crucified some Mahatmas - and you know how Guru Arjan Dev was tortured to death: He was made to sit on a hot pan and hot sand was put on His head. One can realize God only if God Himself is gracious on us.

I have told this story previous- ly. There was a Muslim priest from a place called Taba. He used to ar- gue with me, saying, "How can a man be God?" I would tell him, "When my Master comes, if you come to see Him, then you will know." So when Master came there, I invited him to come and have the darshan of Master. Then Master told him, "Our intellect cannot go to the plane, after reaching which we can realize God; the affection for God comes only after we rise above that plane. We can have love for God only when we give up our mind and intellect." At the end of their conversation, Master told him lovingly, "This is not a miracle, I am not making any prophecy, but I am telling you what I am seeing, which is the truth." Master told him, "The horse on which you have come here will become the cause

6 SANT BANI

of your death." What Master said becamc true after some days. That Muslim priest was taking h ~ s horse to drink water. and on the ivay back something happened and the horse stepped on tlit chest o f that nzurtl- \ t i , that Muslim pricst. and he died 011 the spot.

'That niaulvi's son also had been present wirh him when he was talk- ing with Master. So aftcr that acci- dent happened he came to Mastcr and told Him, "Whatever You said becamc true." So I mean to say that we do not realize the Masters when They come. because we do not see Their reality: wc are blind.

S n a m i J i ivlaharaj says. "Thc

Power Who is nim-ishing the whole creation and by whose support thc wholc world is standing, 1 call that Pmver as Shabd. That Shabd can- not be described in any word. It cannot be ~vritten in any language. It cannot bc read."

Now He says that it is not true that up until now no one has understood the Shabd and rcalizcd it. I-Ie says that those who go and mix them- selves in that Shabd, those \ v h o rnanifcst that Shabd within them-

selves, understand It and realize It. Kabir Sahib says, "No one can

comprehend the Creator and His creation. Only He Who has created this creation, or those on whom He has been gracious, can realize and understand the creation."

Moment after moment you are being protected, what move can I say in the glory of Shabd?

Satguru gives us Naam, He con- nects us with it, and that Naam pro- tects us with our every single breath. Giving the Naam Initiation is not just blowing some air in your ear and saying, "From now on I am your Master." Giving the Naam Ini- tiation is taking the responsibility. After giving the Naam Initiation the perfect Master always attends to His responsibility and He never leaves us until He takes us to our Real Home.

At the time of Initiation the Mas- ter makes such an arrangement that the disciple goes on paying off his pralabdh [fate] karmas along with doing his meditation.

As a body, Satguru is present at one place at one time, but as Shabd He is omnipresent, He is present everywhere all the time. After giv- ing the Initiation Satguru never leaves the disciple. No matter if the disciple leaves the Master, but the Master never leaves him. After giv- ing the Initiation to the disciple He

always accompanies the disciple like the shadow of a man accompa- nies him.

When Guru Nanak's eyes were opened, He also said this: "My Master is always with me. Go on doing His Simran because He pro- tects you all the time.''

Swami Ji Maharaj also is saying the same thing. He says. "Shabd is protecting me every single moment. I cannot describe Its glory, Its im- portance."

He who did not know the end* and glory of Shabd remains in illzlsion and witholit Shabd.

Without good fortune we cannot meet a Saint; without good fortune we cannot get Naam.

What do they know about the power of Naam, those who have not gotten the Naam? How can they know about the Master?

The soul is [born] in the illusion because of the Naam, and without getting the Naam the soul [dies] in the illusion.

One who has not eaten rock candy, how can he tell us its taste?

* Those who follow the Shabd to the "end" will be absorbed into God Ab- solute. Who is Ashabd; see "Right Un- derstanding Exalted," in this issue. We might also read t h ~ s verse as: He who did not know the glory of Shabd Ji-om beginning to end remains in illusion.

SANT BANI

Those who got the Master of Shabd and those who loved the Shabd -

Now He says that only those who have received the Master Who is the Form of the Shabd, who after getting the human birth have medi- tated on the Shabd, only they know Its importance.

If we bring the medicine and put it on the shelf, it will not cure us - no matter how much we may criticize the doctor who has given us the medicine - unless we take that medicine and abstain from all the things which the doctor has rec- ommended, we cannot get any ef- fect from that medicine."

The Master has given Naam to every single soul for doing its med- itation. No one has been given the Initiation only to keep it with him. He has given it to us to meditate on it. Meditate and you will get the benefit.

The hard-working person be- comes successful in this world, and he also becomes successful in the spiritual path.

- are the blessed jivas, and

* The Masters want us to use the gift They give us, not keep in on the shelf. In the bhajan: Mera Satguru Pritam Pyara, Mastana .Ti says, "Take the med- icine! Our doctor has arrived - 0 Em- peror."

they are the ones who meditate on Shabd.

When we progress a little bit in the worldly things we become very glad and we say that we are the most fortunate ones. But the Mahatmas tell us that all the worldly things which you are collecting are not go- ing to go with you. When we get the worldly wealth we become pleased and we are very glad to have that, but then the worry of pro- tecting it also starts. When we get some power, then also we always worry about losing it and we al- ways go on worrying and protect- ing it. That is why Mahatmas tell us, "Who are the most fortunate ones? Those who have received the Naam Initiation in this human birth are the most fortunate ones."

No thief can steal the Naam. No fire can burn it. No wind can blow it out. That is why only those who meditate on this Naam are the most fortunate ones, because Naam is the only thing which is going to pro- tect us.

Without the Shabd the mind cannot be controlled. Now you pay attention to the Shabd.

Now He asks, "Why do we have to do the meditation of Shabd Naam?" He Himself replies that the mind has bothered the whole world. Even the rishis and munis, the great souls,

April /May 2001

were bothered by the mind, and there is no other way to control the mind except by d o ~ n g the medita- tion of Shabd Naam. That is why, in order to control the mind, we must mcditatc on the Shnbd.

We all know that the wars which are going on between thc religions and the countries are caused by the mind. If there were no mind, if there wcre no wars, everybody in this \ \odd nou ld be living peacefully. because M C are all the children of thc same Father. Because of thc n i ~ n d , onc brother is cutting the neck of another brother, and there i x unrest e ~ e r p w h c r e in the world.

Now Swami Ji Maharqi says that those ~ v h o did not get the wealth of the Shabd Naam after getting the human b ~ r t h go from this world l ~ k e thc cats and dogs. Cats and dogs also come into this world. they also fill up their bellies, enjoy the things, and go back from this world. In thc same way, Swami Ji Maha- raj says that those human beings who did not gct the Naam go back from this world without utilizing thcir birth.

Now He says that God is sitting in the Form of Shabd within every- one. But we are the unfortunate ones because we do not listen to His voice. We are the unfortunate ones because we are sleeping.

Sit alone and contemplate, only then will you get the sign of Shabd.

Now He says: "When you have got Naam, when you have got Shabd, meditate upon it. The place which is shown to you by your Master, the Eye Center - bring your atten- tion there. Bring your attention there and meditate on the Shabd Naam."

Give up laziness, sleep, and hastiness. Devote yourself to the Shabd.

Now Swami Ji Maharaj says, "If you want to become successful in the Path of Shabd Naam, follow these things: give up laziness, give up the attachment of false sleep, and give up the urge to hurry."

When we sit for meditation, our mind at once tells us that we have been meditating for so long and we did not get anything, he tells us that we should have gotten something. When the mind tells us such things, we should ask him this question: "You have been meditating for the last ten, fifteen years. How much meditation have you [really] done?"

We don't realize that we have not done enough meditation, but we al- ways expect good results after a few minutes of meditation. That is why here He says that if you want to become successful, give up lazi- ness, sleep, and the urge to hurry.

In the within, jive Shabds are sounding. Recognize this virtue of Shabd.

Now Swami Ji Maharaj says that there is not just one Shabd. There are five Shabds or Sounds which are sounding within you. Go in your within and hear Them.

Guru Nanak Sahib has also men- tioned these five Shabds. He says, "The Sound of that Formless Lord comes in five different Forms. All the five Sounds sound within us."

The practice or the means of realizing God is within us. Guru Nanak Sahib says, "He Who can show us the Path back to our God in our within and Who can put us on that Path is the real Satguru. All the dear ones meditate on those five Sounds and find the Real Home. 0 Nanak, I am the slave of those who are able to realize their Real Home." Up until now all those who have meditated on these five Sounds have been able to go back to their Real Home. That is why Guru Nanak Sahib says, "I am the slave of those dear ones who have gone back to their Real Home by meditating on the five Sounds."

April /May 2001 11

Muslims call them the five Kal- mas, and Sikhs call them the five Banis. But Hazrat Bahu says that the Kalma which is going to be the means of our liberation cannot be written, read, or sung.

Now the question arises, why do the Masters call them "five Shabds" or "five Sounds"? We know that when the river comes out from the mountains, the water has different sounds. When that water flows on stones it has one sound. When the same water flows on sand, it makes a different sound. And finally, when that river goes into the ocean, it has another sound. Similarly, since the Sound which is coming from our Real Home passes through the five different planes, that is why it has a different sound in every plane.

The Master has taught you the knowledge of Shabd. Become the meditator of Shabd.

Sant Satgurus do not tell us to con- vert our religion. They do not say that Hindus should become Sikhs, or that Sikhs should become Hin- dus. They tell us that you can do the devotion of Shabd Naam, the meditation of Shabd Naam, while remaining in your own religion and by performing all its rituals.

I have said, "Slzabd, Shabd" a lot. No one believes in the Shabd.

Those who did not climb the hill of Shabd have wasted their birth.

God has given us this human birth, which is a precious jewel. If after getting this precious jewel we do not appreciate it, if we do not uti- lize it for the real purpose for which it was given to us, our taking birth was of no use. Swami Ji Maharaj says that those who did not get the Naam and those who did not do its meditation have wasted their human birth.

Radhaswami became quiet af- ter saying a lot, as one does not get the stream of Shabd trnless it is ii? his destiny.

Very lovingly Swami Ji Maharaj explained to us that the Power Who creates and dissolves this world, this creation, is Shabd. Further, He said that those who have got the Shabd Naam are the most fortunate ones. Even more fortunate are those who do Its meditation after receiv- ing It. Later He told us that those who do not get the Naam Initiation in this human birth and those who do not meditate on It are the most unfortunate ones. and they waste their birth. That is why. according to the instructions of Swami Ji Ma- haraj, we should all do the medita- tion of Shabd Naam and make our human birth successful.

SANT BANI

The First Satsang I Ever Heard by

RICHARD SHANNON

Printed on the following pages is one of my favorite Satsangs, the very first one I ever heard. It was read out at a Sunday Satsang at Sant Bani Ash- ram in New Hampshire, and two statements from the talk kept repeat- ing in my thoughts for days and days.

* * * We've all heard the Masters say that it is really the Master who searches for us and pulls us toward Him. Com- ing from a conservative, small town background, I don't know how I ever accepted even the idea of a Godman. One night in my college years, I re- member looking up at the stars as I yelled out, "God! I don't believe in You! If you're out there, come and find me." It was November 1963, Master Kirpal was in the U.S. then, but I didn't get to meet Him for nine more years. Much later I heard the phrase: "When the disciple is ready, the Guru appears. " Then I realized that the Master had been pulling me all the time.

My wife Susan and I met just as she was about to graduate from col- lege. We were married in September 1967. I needed to complete three more semesters before I graduated. Outwardly our prospects were not good, but looking back, I see that our marriage brought us closer to the

Master. The country was at war, there were major upheavals in society, and we were young kids with a lot of idealism, searching for something to believe in. One thing after another disappointed us.

After three years we had good jobs in Boston, we had a lovely baby girl, but there was still a lot of emptiness in our life. Something pulled us to N.H. - outwardly a teaching job for me in Tilton. Once settled in New Hampshire it seemed that of all the people we met, the ones liked the best were followers of a guru named Kirpal Singh. Our new friends all seemed to have some inner strength to rely on when life was hard. The only "guru" I had ever heard of charged his followers a fee for giv- ing them a mantra. Something told me a real guru wouldn't care about money. When we learned that their Master gave His teachings free we were interested, but we still wanted to see for ourselves. We borrowed some books, then our friends invited us to come to Satsang sometime.

One Sunday in June 1972 I went to my first Satsang. Two statements from the discourse: "A man can only guide others up to the level he has himself reached, and not beyond that . . . " and "Without a Perfect

April /May 2001

Master, there is no right understand- ing, and therefore no veal progress, " had a profound impact on me. The fact that Master Kirpal was familiar with and quoted from Jesus also re- assured me. I bought a magazine with this discourse to show Susan. We were pleased that Master Kirpal was coming on tour and would come to Sant Bani Ashram. When Master Kir- pal came in October 1972, we ar- ranged to take time from our jobs to go to the first public meetings at the Ashram and see for ourselves.

One morning, as Master was giv- ing a brief talk, a Christian evange- list started shouting from the back of the hall, warning people, "Don't be- lieve this man, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing!" Sitting near the front, I watched Master close His eyes and very peacefully meditate as pande- monium broke out in the hall. A few Satsangis, one of whom was a Chris- tian minister, argued loudly with the man until Russell calmed everyone down by saying, "Gentlemen, this is a house of love, please take your differences outside." Then Master opened His eyes and very quietly asked, "What's the matter?" When Russell said, "The man thinks You're deceiving people -" Master Kirpal said very lovingly, "Let him come a little closer, he can see for himself." The Master was wonderful - I had never met anyone so genuinely pow- erfid and humble at the same time.

But I still hadn't decided to ask for Initiation. One afternoon there was

a Satsang down by the Master's house. Although the sun was wann, cold blasts of wind were blowing across the pond. Bundled in blankets with all the people, I was having a hard time staying warm, and Master Kirpal, sitting up on the dais, was wearing a thin woolen coat, with only the collar turned up against the chill. Several times a man had offered Him a blanket, but he was waved off.

The wind was noisy, and Mas- ter's words were hard to hear. At one point I thought: "If You want us to believe in You, why are You up there and we're sitting down here; we're freezing and I can't even understand what you're saying!" Then Master said something that seemed like He had heard my thoughts: "When a man has a disease, they won't let hi171 sit with the othevpeople. And Spiritual- it?/ is like a disease: It can 't be taught. and It can't be bought, but It can be catight from someone who has it." His words went deep into my heart. Tearfully I realized, "He's freezing for our sake! He came here from His nice warm home in India and He's not even getting paid for this. It's all true; He's doing this only because He loves us." Then I knew that I wanted to be initiated and spend the rest of my life as His disciple.

* * * I j " a ~ y readers care to send a short account of their favovite discourse of Sant Ji or Master Kivpal, we would be happy to share the discourse and their accotlnt with other veaders.

SANT BANI

Right Understanding Exalted Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

a HUMAN BEING can benefit from another to the extent of that per-

son's knowledge. First, we should re- member that the whole world is at the mercy of the mind, which has four phases. One phase is absorbed attention; the second is the result of that, in mind-activity; the third phase differentiates through the intellect; and the fourth draws inferences out of the differentiation, through which an intoxicated, intense sense of plea- sure occurs - and this is pride. These are the functions of the four phases of mind. Whatever one learns, one can pass on to others. Those who have journeyed along the path of in- ference can in turn teach others what- ever they have learned - again through inference. But they cannot through inference give any practical experience.

I once went to a gathering in Kan- pur, where the people were listening to talks on the Gita. The secret teach- ing is mentioned in the holy books, but for want of a realized person, the meaning is not understood. In the fourth and sixth chapters of the Gita it is clearly written that one must go

-

Reprinted from the Jwze 1972 isstle of Sat Sandesh.

to a God-realized person and with all sincerity question him and get the answers. It states, furthermore, that when you are satisfied, you should follow the instructions of that God- realized person, and you will also gain the realization. Then in the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh chapters it is explained even more openly that one must go behind the eyes, and so on. Now this obvi- ously is something that can only be done practically, and if this scripture is not heard through the discourse of one who has actually gained the knowledge in experience, how can one follow the correct import of it?

So, in Kanpur one brother stood up and said, "Brothers, get ready, for I am just now going to give you the darshan of the Lord." Naturally ev- eryone was most impressed to hear this statement. He gave a very good talk - most praiseworthy. Intellec- tually he very beautifully explained the subject, and brought it to a con- clusion that there is some higher pow- er. But - he had not seen that Pow- er, and could not show it to the people. What I am illustrating is that a man can only guide others up to the level he has himself reached, and not beyond that. He who is surround-

SANT BANI

ed by mlnd and senses, and talks on the same level -no matter how won- derful the talk may be - but has not himself risen above the mind, intel- lect and senses, how can he possibly take another beyond them?

It is very necessary to give some serious thought on this particular point. Reading, writing, and thinking are the first steps along the way. To read the holy books is not a waste of time, for they are the expressions in words of the realized souls who real- ly experienced the Truth. Do you un- derstand? Listen to the Master's true words; He speaks of what He sees. Whatever the Masters see, they give out. When they saw, they sang, and those songs gave ,forth .fruit. Those who were caught up in mere feelings - "God is ever-existent, I feel Him to be so" - and so on, were most voluble in describing this ever-exis- tent nature, but only by feelings. It is rather like the proverbial group of blind people who tried to describe the elephant. One man felt the ele- phant's legs, and said, "Oh, he is like a pillar." One man felt the ear, and said, "Brothers, he is like a fan." An- other felt the stomach and declared the elephant to be like a barrel, and one felt the trunk and insisted he was like a rope. Now none of these blind men had actually seen the elephant, so the judgment of them all was in- accurate; because they were relying on feelings only.

So those people who listen to the statements of those who speak from

feelings, will remain themselves gov- erned by feelings, and will ever be at conflict among themselves, support- ing their respective guru's versions. When the elephant is described by one with his eyes open, he will say, "Yes, his legs are like pillars, his stomach like a barrel," etc. He will place the whole picture in a very clear-cut and accurate manner. It is worthwhile understanding this point very fully: that you can be guided only up to that point which your guide has reached; and if he is deeply in- volved in his feelings, he will preach what he feels is true, and in this way any number of conclusions can be reached whereby people will fight among themselves over the contro- versies.

God is One - but His power is working in different ways. Some peo- ple worship God as Lord Shiva, and some as Lord Vishnu. The Shiva dev- otee will say, "I do not want to see Vishnu's face," and the Vishnu dev- otee will not wish to see Shiva's face. Oh brothers, this is one and the same Power from the same source, but working at different types of work. The person whose eye is open to the Truth sees clearly that these are dif- ferent phases of the same God-pow- er. The power which comes from a powerhouse is at one place heating through fire, and at some other loca- tion is freezing through ice. The man using the heat may be of the opinion that electricity can only produce heat, and the man in the freezing plant may

April / May 200 1

stubbornly insist that electricity can only be used for freezing, but the expert from the powerhouse sees and knows that elcctric power can do many things. Each man speaks from his own level of knowledge, be it restricted or comprehensive.

The mystery of life must be solved; but he who feels the solution will just describe his feelings, and he who reaches a conclusion through in- ference will just explain his theory of inferences; and what of the person who has walked the emotional path? He will start dancing, for he can only express himself emotionally. This is all due to the fact that none of them have seen - that is why their state- ments will differ, and that is why their statements cannot be absolutely correct. One can begin to see why there is always so much conflict on the subject of religion. The Vedas, in this regard, say, Truth is one, but people through intellect have ex- plained it vario~~sly. We should al- ways remember this point: that this subject is such that cannot be com- pletely grasped by intellect. And what does the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad say? It says that to bring God into intellectual terms is as impossible as trying to quench the thirst with wine or extract oil from sand. On this same subject, Guru Nanak says, It cannot be achieved by thought, though the thoughts be millions. It is not a sub- ject for thinking, although thinking may take one a little nearer toward finding it; so when will the riddle be

solved? When: Senses are inmobile, the mind at rest, and the intellect is stilled, then the soul perceives.

Without a Perfect Master, there is no right understanding, and therefore no real progress. Without that right understanding each one sits in pride, saying "My way is the right one" and attempts to force everyone else to accept it. Why all the conflict and dissension when all these different phases have the same Source? Even in the matter of way of life, some say the householder's life is the best, and some say the renunciate's life is the best. So which is better? The Mas- ters say, Happiness hes neither in the home, nor in leaving it; Happi- ness lles In the knowledge gained from the Master 's company. Finding true happiness does not rest with re- nouncing or not renouncing the worldly life, and can only be found by contacting the Truth at the feet of a Master. The Masters are those who have seen the Truth, and therefore are not their statements more correct? The holy books contain the words of those who had right understanding - they saw. and they gave out.

Now what is right understanding? In a few words, there is someone who gave us birth (father and mother) but brothers, there must be someone who is responsible for the creation of all life, and through whom all birth comes about. This is an inference of the intellect. is it not? All worship the Maker in one form or another, call Him Ram, Allah, or God. Now

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Ram, Allah and God are not all dif- ferent beings. The Creator of all cre- ation is one, but was given various names by the Rishis, Munis and Ma- hatmas. In truth, He has no name. Bow down to the Nameless. But to help the people remember Him, the Masters gave Him names. For in- stance, He was called Ram; this word comes from rum which means "re- verberating in all creation." He is im- manent in all forms, and to realize that Being with many names, we en- tered one or another of the religions. Hundreds of lovers, but the Beloved is one-for all; Religion and caste are different, but the work is one for all. This statement is really the very ba- sis of right understanding, and if right understanding develops, where is conflict, where is dissension?

The soul is a conscious entity. God has given a physical form to each one, the outer and inner construction of which is the same in all - even the appearance is the same. The same sicknesses attack the physical form. Furthermore, each soul is under the influence of the mind and the senses, which in turn drag it outward toward the worldly enjoyments. So he who separates the soul from mind, and mind from senses, and senses from enjoyments, gets the right understand- ing in truth. He is a devotee of the one Creator, and by sitting beside such an enlightened devotee of God, one can also gain this right under- standing. For lack of it, man remains trapped in the world. All men, in all

religions, are subject to this impris- onment, and if you want to release yourself from this depressing condi- tion, then when Senses are immo- bile, the mind at rest, and the intel- lect is s filled, then the soul perceives. You can see that even the cure for Man's misery is one and the same for all. Go to one who has stilled his mind and senses. If you go to an intellectually learned person you will hear a very fine discourse, with per- haps five or ten different meanings to one point, through inference; but he will not have seen what he is speaking of, and what is more im- portant, he cannot show it to you. Swami Ji Maharaj says, Ifyou desire release from the world, listen to the true Master's instructions.

When I spoke of these things in the West, they asked me, "You have described the Truth in very simple and clear words; why has it been so difficult to understand up to now?" I explained that those who described the Truth for them had themselves no experience of it, and could merely express some ideas at the intellectual level. In this context, Truth has been described so often and in so many different ways that whatever was known of it originally has been for- gotten. No wonder it is now difficult for people to understand all these dif- ferent theories. Those who had no first-hand knowledge were just beat- ing about the bush. A person with even a little discernment will see the difference between the words of a

April / May 2001

Master and those of an ordinary man. The Gurbani describes this as the un- developed words of worldly people and the developed words of the spiri- tually enlightened. The words that come from the spiritually enlightened come directly from some higher pow- er. Actually all speech is sustained, but there are two types of sound: one being hidden and the other apparent. The hidden Sound sustains everything - since when? This Sound started beyond the .four ytlgas; It vibmted the Truth. The sound which becomes apparent is sustained by pranas, the vital airs or energy; but the hidden Sound is not sustained by anything. We are all worshipers of the latter.

What should one do to gain right understanding? Enjoy Satsang - the company of one who has become the image of Truth itself. Satsang is not the company of intellectuals, lectur- ers, hypocrites, propagandists, or paid preachers. All Masters advise that to solve the mystery of life one should first develop right understanding: to understand in reality that we are soul in the body, embodied soul, no mat- ter whether we are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other religion. Rec- ognize all men's caste as one. There is no difference between he who lives in the city and he who lives in the jungle; for all men are truly embod- ied souls, and all are sustained by the same Power: that which controls the soul in the body. Just consider that there are nine physical orifices, yet the soul cannot run out through any

of them. Only when the Sustainer or Controller withdraws does the soul also leave the body. The breath leaves the body; it could remain outside, but there is something controlling that, something drawing it back. This is the mystery of life, solving which you will gain right understanding. Without right understanding nothing worthwhile is achieved, but with right understanding you will have right thoughts, and right thoughts will give you right speech and right actions; from then on, love for all mankind develops automatically. There will be no question of fighting with others over petty differences; you will ex- press what you have seen, and not what has been inferred.

It is a great blessing to have been given a human life, and the aim of the human life is to solve the mys- tery of it. If you cannot as yet still the mind, intellect and senses, then keep the company of him who can do this. Where the Sntgzrrzr is, there is the company of the Truth. Satsang is not where we hear stories about the past and the future for the sake of earning someone's livelihood. where even the scriptures are explained in a thousand different lights of under- standing. Right understanding cannot be developed like this. Excuse me, but the volume of preaching is at a peak in this age - I do not think it has ever been so rife before. And the result of it all is hatred for one anoth- er. The steps we were takng were misdirected and still we are doing

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today. So what is the remedy? As I have said: to sit beside someone who has the right understanding. We will now take Guru Nanak Sahib's hymn:

When you meet a true Satguru, you get the jeweled Right Knowledge.

Satguru is the image of Truth, who has become the true knowledge and who sees that the Lord is the Doer of all things and is working in all cre- ation. Know a Satguru to be one who brings everyone together. This does not mean a guru of any particular sect, but a Guru of the world: of all Mankind. Such a Guru does not see your religion, but rather he sees you - that you are soul in the physical form. He has freed himself from all shackles, and can free others also. The questions of how the senses can be withdrawn from outer attractions, how the mind can be free from the senses, how the soul can be analyzed from the mind, are all part of a prac- tical science, of which the Satguru is a competent expert who can give the scientific experience to the aspirant, who in turn, with the guidance and instruction of the Satguru, learns to increase that experience daily through regular practice. With such a method the disciple can become as expert as the Gum. There is a great difference between a Master and a philoso- pher's stone; The latter makes gold from iron, but the former makes us like himself: A philosopher's stone

cannot make another philosopher's stone, but the Master can make souls realized. This is why all Masters stress that reading, writing and think- ing are something apart from Spiritu- ality.

Reasoning is the help, and rea- soning the bar. If you go on poring over books and drawing inferences intellectually, you will at least be tak- ing the first steps with the help of the words of the Masters found in the holy scriptures; but all this cannot be of any use in a practical science of withdrawing the senses from sense- objects and releasing the mind. For this some higher bliss must be en- joyed, which up to now the mind has never had the opportunity to taste. It is all a practical matter, and he who has realized the subject practically can give the secret knowledge of it. One must seek his company.

When I was searching for Truth, I can tell you that my search was in- tense. I would start to read a certain book in the night, and without teas-

ing would study the whole night through; only to rise in the morning with yet no way out discovered. The books held very good thoughts - like green orchards, very refreshing. The heart starts to desire those things mentioned therein; but how? The books say, "God is ever-existent - no place is without Him - He is ever-apparent." But how to see Him? This is the burning question, is it not? I can only repeat that it is a practical subject. In this regard, Bulleh Shah

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says, Why read this pile of books? Burdening your head with all these thoughts! Read the words, leave all calculations, Drive away these athe- istic ways. Is it not true that one be- comes more confiised by excessive reading - tiring the brain needless- ly? Bookish knowledge is all wilder- ness - there is no way out. The love of One should dwell in your heart; that is all. Is this not the purpose behind reading scriptures - to love the Lord? Tulsi Sahib says, Reading and reading, the whole world died, no one became a teacher; Ifyou dwell on the word "love" and develop that in yourselJ; you wzll become a real pundit (a teacher).

The purpose of reading is to be- come a devotee of the Lord, and to love all beings, as the Lord is in each one. People do not do this. Instead, they become lecturers, etc., but they do not develop love in themselves. All the world's conflicts are due to lack of love. And all conflict is due to those who did not realize the Truth, but chose to become powerful through learning; and they are respon- sible for the discord and strife from which Mankind is suffering. Had they realized the Truth, they would have spoken it out, but they said, "No, only our religion is the right one." In this way they drove one religion against another, they built controver- sial conditions, and then sat down and watched while men shed their blood for these useless causes. We have a clear example in the partition

of India and Pakistan which came about through suchlike conditions, and those who created them sat aside while approximately fifteen hundred thousand [1,500,000] persons were butchered needlessly. If they had had even a little right understanding this tragedy would never have happened.

Some years ago, during our Hazur's lifetime, there had been some trouble in Multan (now in Pakistan), between some Hindus and Muslims. Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj went there and held a Satsang, hearing which the people said, "If only you had come earlier, this trouble would not have arisen." Masters come to the world to join the brothers and sisters together, not to break them apart. And they come to rejoin the souls back to the Lord. This is the work of the Masters. They say, "Love." In love there is oneness, union; not aloofness.

Naam is the sustainer of Khand and Brahmnnd. To realize this Naam is the right understanding. The only true thing, the only pure thing, is the Naam. Tulsi Sahib says, They chant the fozw Vedas, eighteen Puranas. nine Viakvan, and six Slzastu-as, btlt lose the truth given out in them! Such is the case with followers of all reli- gions. They go on reading their holy scriptures parrot-like, and do not fol- low the meanings underlying them. Not only was the Truth lost by read- ing all these, but he also says, With- out knowing the Surat-Shabd, one is like the chandool bzrd, and can inzi-

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/ ( I / P t~ l l \ t ~ o d s \ I ? ~ / ~ O L I / /he ~~u~ltv.( \~ing )ile~rili)lg. While the attention or soul does not mect God, thc Oversoul, and sun-oundcd by mind and scnses rc- mains n prisoner because it has not been analyzed from thcm, then what is the value of book-learning'? Tulsi Sahib likens this to a chandool bird. which copies any sound it hears. It does not mean that one should never writc or think, but alone thcy have no value.

The true aim behind reading the

scriptures, i T onc fully understands ~vhat one reads, is to gain the realiza- tion. Simv /he odd / ? c y l t t , j iw (lid )lo/ Iwvc~ / / L C hooks, 'lid )lo/ gr/ trwr I~~ppi)w.s.s. What a clear statement! We just cannot let go of the holy books and scriptures. Of course, out- er knowledge is like a garland of flowers adorning a realized person who will then explain the path of Truth in many ways and thereby help the different types of seekers to UII-

derstand; but a realized soul is a real-

ized soul, with or without worldly degrees, and whatever he says is preg- nant with meaning, overflowing with love and Truth. Sheikh Saadi says that if a learned man is unrealized, then reading and writing is like a don- key's burden upon his head. On this very subject, Guru Amar Das Ji says that it is like making a sweet dish without any sugar - stirring it with a spoon from morn to night, will it give any sweet taste? So Guru Nan- ak is explaining the importance of right understanding.

When you meet a true Satguru, you get the jeweled Right Knowledge;

Giving your mind to your Guru, you get the imper- ishable love.

Right understanding will only come when the soul transcends the mind. Just think about it carefully: you are on the mind's level, and as yet have not solved the mystery. If you re- main at that level, how will you get full understanding?

When Swami Dayanand went to the Guru, he had his books under his a m , and the Guru said, "Dayanand, first throw away those books - into the river." Dayanand asked the Guru the reason for this order, and the Guru replied, "That which I want to give you cannot be got through books." They were holy books, but he threw them into the river; it is a very good example of gum-bhakti. If it be con-

sidered a sin committed against the holy scriptures, yet he did not com- mit a greater sin: that of disobedi- ence to his Guru. I read once that sometimes when Dayanand could not understand the true import of the writ- ten words, his Guru would beat him with a stick. On such occasions, Day- anand would say, "Maharaj, I am a great trouble to you." What very fine gurubhakti he had! Guru-bhakti is a matter of love - when heart speaks to heart.

When you go to a realized soul to get right understanding, go with all humility, put aside your views. What you know, you know. While you are with him, try and understand what he is saying. Consider the level he is speaking from, and then compare your own knowledge. Many would hesitate to go to him for pride of their own knowledge. The man of promi- nent worldly position will not go, for he is intoxicated with his own pow- er; and a rich man will not go, for he is lost in pride of wealth. Remember, the God-realized person cannot be bought with money, impressed by power, pushed by force. When you go to him, put aside your own ideas - after all, no one can rob you of them! We make the mistake of mea- suring what he is trying to say with what we already know: "We have heard that before"; "So and so said that" - etc. Brothers. he will say all this and more, for he must speak on man's level for fuller comprehension. and will quote many truths that 0th-

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ers have said, that the seeker may find his way more easily. But the fact remains, if the seeker wants to receive, he must still his intellect for a while, and sit in all humility. If the cup is placed below the pitcher, it will be filled; but if it is placed above the pitcher, how can it be filled? That is why it is said, When the mind is sold to the Satguru, such a disciple's work is crowned with success.

When Ashtavakra gave the knowl- edge to King Janak, do you know what he asked for? He asked the king for his body, his wealth, and his mind. Body and wealth are sustained by the mind, so wherever the mind goes, everything goes. Guru Nanak is tell- ing us that if one gives the mind to the Guru, one gets the permanent love. Swami Ji Maharaj says, 0 knowledge, you are very ignorant; You know not the value o f a Master. Masters are a surging ocean of love: love for the Lord and love for hu- manity. But man would test them with his intellect; an impossibility, for They are full of the Nectar of Love; In their company, true hankering for Thee bursts forth to have an over-

flowing cup of love for God and hu- manity. Put aside your intellect and become receptive, and then you will see. Once in Berlin, Germany, dur- ing my talk which was being inter- preted from English to German by an interpreter, the audience told the in- terpreter to stop as the interpretation was not necessary - "We understand more from his eyes." Eyes are the

April /May 2001

windows of the soul through which the intoxication and the import there- of is conveyed.

Giving up the mind does not mean one loses one's reason or intellect; it means, first of all, to still the mind completely and fully grasp what the Guru is saying. If you put aside the I-hood, you will get the right import, thereby becoming receptive to absorb the perpetual radiation of power from the Guru. Kabir Sahib has warned us what can happen: Mind is given else- where, body is in the Master's corn- pany, Kabir says, how can you dye an unbleached cloth? Swami Ji says, Do Satsang by being receptive- Someone! It does not matter if you do not understand the words if you can be receptive, for his radiance will give you some intoxication. That pre- cious jewel of understanding, which you gain when you meet the Satguru, is priceless, invaluable; but it is not received at the level of the mind. The mind must be stilled for a while, and then you will get such love - love like a surging ocean - it will surge within you. Your whole being will be uplifted by this overflowing love. After this, your mind can be stilled at will. 0 Lord, how can we leave the company of such a Saint, by see- ing whom the mind gets stilled? You can say it is a judging criterion for a Master, for you cannot get this gift in the company of intellectuals. The waves of Truth are ever-flowing through the true Satguru, and those waves affect the sincere seeker. Even

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though the disciple is thousands of miles away, the same effect can be received by directing the attention. If radio can pick up transmissions from thousands of miles, why cannot our swat become affected?

Swami Vivekananda was said at one time to have been an atheist. He would challenge people, saying, "Is there anyone who has seen God?" He finally found Sri Ramakrishna, who in those days lived in Calcutta and who was a realized soul although he was not learned academically. Learning is the mother of books, and knowledge is the mother of all. Ra- makrishna had knowledge; if he had no special book learning, did that matter? Swami Vivekananda put the question to him, "Master, have you seen God?" and Ramakrishna replied, "Yes, my child, I see Him as I see you - more vividly than that." He was satisfied.

Later, when Vivekananda went to the United States, he was requested to represent the Hmdu religion at a parliament of religions. Now, sitting among one's own countrymen and giving a talk amid familiar surround- ings is vastly different than address- ing a selected gathering and discuss- ing with distinguished members of the clergy. After speaking for about ten minutes, he suddenly became nonplussed - bereft of words. A speaker may pause for a drink with- out creating any misgivings, so he asked for a glass of water. While qui- etly waiting for the water, he put all

his attention on his Guru. Now Guru Power, or you can call it God Power, is working at that human pole and is ever-present. As he concentrated upon Sri Ramakrishna, he contacted a wave of Guru Power. He started speaking even before the water ar- rived, and went on to speak for more than five hours, causing eventually a good deal of anxiety among some of the clergymen. If Vivekananda had stayed in America longer, all would have been drawn to him.

So to achieve this jewel of knowl- edge, the Satguru is essential. One gets an intoxication from a truly real- ized soul just by focusing the atten- tion on the Guru, thereby becoming receptive. A man who is proud of his mental development and advanced intellect may see the Guru on an oc- casion, but he gains no effect from that. This is the difference in men. Remember, the mind is material - not conscious; furthermore it is be- smeared with the mud of ages past. A magnet can have no effect on dirty, mud-covered iron filings; but if they are clean and free from soil they quickly respond to the magnetism. The Master can be likened to a most powerful magnet, and our soul is of the same substance, but besmeared with the muddy experiences of our past. Remove the mud, and it will naturally be drawn to its source. Put this to the test: sit beside a Master and put your mind altogether aside for a while, and see how much bliss and intoxication you receive. Love

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will then begin to grow and overflow in you, for God is love, and the soul is His entity - a drop of that Ocean of Love - although it is at present scattered widely in a thousand attrac- tive outlets at the mind and sense level. Separated for a brief space from all this outer tinsel, and centered or concentrated, it will be dragged to- ward that love which gushes forth from the perennial source. This is an established law. We read the words of the Masters, the valuable gems they left behind, but we rarely understand their true meaning. So he tells us:

Giving your mind to your Guru, you get the imper- ishable love;

You receive the gift oj'salva- tion, which erases the dirt of all sins.

With right understanding, the mind is cured from the state of diffusion that it suffers from, by the soul-filled glance of the Master. Is it not said in the scriptures that salvation is gained through the Naam or Word? What is that Naam? That is the Name or Word of God which sustains all creation. And when will you get this gift which erases all imperfections? When you sit beside a Master in a receptive mood. Even if you do not understand the language he is speaking, yet you will gain the benefit of the radiation. If you also understand his words, so much the better. Guru Arjan Sahib says, By coalescent darshan all sins

are Jinished. Becoming fully ab- sorbed and in union with someone is different than merely seeing a per- son. It must be a coalescence: the two hearts should become one, so that the soul is receptive. Christ said, I am the vine, ye are the branches - only the Masters can understand this subject - He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; $or without me ye can do nothing. This is what is called Guru- bhakti. If you are really devoted to someone, you will obey that person. Christ also said, I f y e love me, keep my cornmandnzents. Wherever love is, a human being responds.

The Masters tell us that the right understanding is: you are not the body, I am not the body, you are a soul, I am a soul; our Life Sustainer is God, and my soul is in unison with Him; by His mercy you will also be rejoined to Him. The God Power working in the Guru guides the dis- ciple constantly; so if you receive this gift, all your faults and imperfections will be erased. Our biggest fault is that our attention is scattered - dis- seminated among outer things; this is our basic problem. But when the mind starts tasting the higher nectar, why would he revert to lower enjoy- ments again?

0 brotheu, withotrt the Guru there is no knowledge;

Ask Brahnza, Narad, Ved Vyas.

In the Srimad Bhagavat it is written

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that when Brahma made the four Ve- das, he became very sorrowful. Do you understand why? Because read- ing, writing, learning and the acqui- sition of letters are not necessary for realization of the Truth. He says, Go ask Narad about this, and Stlkhdev, son of Ved Vyas. This thing cannot be realized without a Guru. When the mind is stilled, one receives the radiating waves of the Guru which are already emanating from the hu- man pole of the Master, and have great charging. Those who are recep- tive enjoy these charged waves, to the extent of each one's receptivity. The learned and the unlearned both can become receptive; but as long as the mind is not set aside, there is no spiritual advancement. He tells us to go and ask anyone in authority, and they will tell you that it cannot be achieved without a Guru. Guru Nan- ak also says, Without a Sirtgzlrti, no one had knowledge of the Divine, and no one can have it!

Concentration upon the inde- scribable Sound Principle, the Nad, is the knowledge.

That Sound cannot be expressed in words, but is given various names: Udgit, Nad, Word, Naam. To experi- ence it is true knowledge. And of the greatness of the Guru who makes pos- sible this knowledge, Paltu Sahib says, Whoever can make the Sound coming from the gaggan [seat of the soul in the body] audible, He is my

Gurudev. Whoever can make it pos- sible for one to hear the Sound at the gaggan, and connect one to it, is tru- ly a Guru. He gives a little way up, and opens the path. That great Light which is God's leads one's attention away from outer attractions. It is a small experience with God. My Guru gives me the Light of the Lord's Naam. In the Gayatri Mantra the same thing is mentioned: 0 Lord, take us to the Light of the rays o f the Sun within. GO and search for such a per- sonality who can reveal this Light to you - wherever you can find him. Why can we not have this knowl- edge without a Guru? Understand very carefully that we are surround- ed by the senses, and have become the very image of the physical form. We have forgotten our true selves. When one asks a small child who he is, he opens his mouth and eyes wide and tries to express what he is, for he has some awareness left of his true self, but when he grows up he de- clares, "I am Ram Das, I am Ram Singh, I am Mr. Khan," etc. That small fraction of awareness has gone, and to regain that awareness we must have the help of a Guru. I fone hun- dred moons and one thousand suns arose - With all this light, there is bz~t dense darkness without a GLITU. If the inner eye is not open, how can one see? This eye is called the Shiv Netra, the Third Eye, the Single Eye. Ifthine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of Light. Also, I f the ten senses are controlled, in that soul

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will the Light become eflulgent. But how to control and invert the senses? This secret the Satguru tells. All out- er learning has connection with thr attention when scattered only, but the true knowledge is gained through in- version. It is the ABC of Spirituality. Where the world's philosophies end, there the true religion starts. So meet- ing the Satguru opens the path of right understanding, by experiencing the inner knowledge. When the Satguru is met, inversion occurs, brother. Even for outer learning we need someone's help, so naturally this more exacting type of knowledge can- not be achieved without the help of an expert. That small experience giv- en at the beginning is then increased by daily contact. Death while living unravels the mystery. You become the one who sees. When the atten- tion withdraws and the body becomes numb, then you can say, "Yes, I have experienced it." The one who receives the experience can acknowledge it as practical proof, even if it be but lit- tle. It is like a scientific subject, and not one on the level of sense or feel- ing, for the soul itself has the experi- ence, and as it rises higher, through the astral and causal planes, the more experience will it get. Finally the soul sees that I and my Father are one - He works through me.

Concentration upon the inde- scribable Sound is the knowledge;

The fruit-giving tree of the

Gurzr is green, and its shade is deep.

The Guru is likened to a huge shady tree whose leaves are verdant, whose flowers are full of fragrance. Those who sit in its shade receive the cool- ness. Maulana Rumi says that our heart should sit beside one who knows its condition. He then himself asks how that can happen, and re- plies that one should sit under the tree whose flowery fragrance perme- ates, and should not roam around the world aimlessly, but rather sit in the shop where honey is sold; for in the world many things are taught, in huge boiling pots, and one should not go there with one's cup without first giv- ing thought. There is a lot of black marketing in the world, but more so where so-called spirituality is con- cerned. There was an occasion when Christ became very angry with the Pharisees for defiling the precincts of the temple with their money- changing activities, and he drove them out. Bulleh Shah has described this very clearly: In holy places live the cheats, in the temples live the thugs, in the mosques live the profes- sionals, but true lovers live else- where. It illustrates the decline in man.

Religions are well and good, but they should have a proper teacher - a realized soul. Instead, one finds this poor soul who is earning money for his living this way. He must do this, or be cast out. Now, what can people

April /May 2001

get from such poor beings? All these social bodies were based upon a no- ble thought, but everything has gone down with corruption; they are not up to the mark now. They want of- ferings of money, flowers, etc., and then give their blessings, saying, "Go, child, your salvation is assured," giv- ing some "holy food" to complete the transaction. The same good old custom has corrupted itself. The cus- toms were made for the purpose of helping the people to gain freedom, but they have become binding chains in themselves. A man who belongs to a certain religion is afraid to visit another. This is the result of wrong teaching. Our Hazur, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, used to say, "This is a gift given to you; go where you like, and if you find anything better than that, then take it, and I will also go there." We are devotees of the Truth, and should go wherever we can get it.

The fruit-giving tree of the Guru is green, and its shade is deep;

In the Gum's bhandar, pre- cious jewels are fotlnd.

The Guru's bhandar [treasure-house] is a place where one gets something invaluable; go and sit in that refresh- ing shade. After trudging long in the hot sun, a man gets re-enlivened for a while when he sits in the cool shade of a leafy tree. Sitting at the feet of a realized soul, one becomes more con- scious of what is real and of the

world's unreality. In the company of the Master, there is awareness of the Lord. In his company, the Lord seems very near, and when one leaves that company one reverts to the same con- dition. This jewel of knowledge which is right understanding is found in the Guru's bhandar and is gained at his feet.

In the Guru's bhandara you get the pure love of Naam.

First he told us we would get the precious jewels - the jewels of un- derstanding. Gurbani is most praise- worthy, for not only does it contain the words of the Masters, but those words are such that they explain ful- ly so that there is no misunderstand- ing. Then he says you will get the pure love of Naam: it means that there is such a Name which is pure. God is Anaam - Nameless. He has no name; He is Absolute God. When He expressed Himself, He said, "I am one, but will become many." In the Gurbani, it is written, From one source, millions and nill lions of riv- ers sprouted forth. The Koran says, He ordered, and all creation came into being. The Power which came into expression is called Naam, and various other names, given by the fishis and Mahatmas, but these are merely names; the pure Naam is that Power - the Truth - the contact with which is given in the Guru's bhandara. Anyone can give mere words, and tell the person to go and

SANT BANI

repeat a certain name they have al- lotted to the Lord - although every respect should be given to all His names. I sacriJice myself on all Thy names. Now, the question arises, "What is that Naam, repeating which one crosses the ocean of life?" Those who have not found the Guru con- sider that the words applied to God mean everything. The Hindus say that He is Om or Ram. The Muslims say that He is Allah, and the Sikhs say that He is Waheguru. Who is cor- rect? Each insist that salvation is gained through their own choice of name, but in fact these are merely words given to that holy power of Naam. We should practice that Naam which is the Power itself: the Truth. Only through that Naam can salva- tion be received. The controller of the nine riddhis [supernatural pow- ers] is the Lord's Naclm - the Water of Life - which resides in this body. This is not a subject for physical sight; you must rise above the senses to see these things in truth. This Naam has an enchanting sweetness. Any- one can teach outer ritual, prayers, mantras, but with prayerful thought I say that if only religious leaders would give out the correct teachings, there would be great love among all men; this is the basic aim of all reli- gions. Why is there so much con- flict? Because of the different levels of understanding. They regard every- thing from the levels of mind, intel- lect, emotions, feelings, and infer- ence, and it is all due to the lack of

right understanding. Remember that this type of people has always stood against the God-realized souls, and principally the learned priests, who were at the level of mind. The great Saint, Guru Nanak Sahib, was called an enticer, and was said to be mis- leading the people. He was refused entry into one city, called Kasur. Some people have propagated that I am the representative of the Nega- tive Power and that no person should look upon my face for fear of being misled. Just see, even today these things are still going on.

With theftdl mercy of the Guru You get the true meuclzandise.

If in your search you have found a truly God-realized soul who has real- ized that which is written of in the scriptures - has actually experienced that - then there is no need to read the holy books which speak of such a Guru. You may put them aside. To get what they got, meet such a real- ized soul who will take one along the path that he has traveled. No one has ever achieved any real progress just by reading, and never will.

To see this worldly ocean is terrifjiing - having no be- ginning nor end;

There is no boat, no raft, no pilot.

The world can be likened to a vast ocean frightening to regard; we can

April /May 2001 3 1

see no beginning or end to it all. Fur- thermore, we can see no means of crossing this ocean safely; we have only the mind as a helper. The mind, with its four departments - its res- ervoir of impressions, its reasoning powers, its intellect, and its ego - all are blockages, keeping one from the Truth. Their help will only ex- tend to considering the subject. Rea- soning is helpful, but nothing can be realized through it. So is there any real means of crossing this worldly ocean? Guru Nanak himself answers this:

The shzp is the Satgurti, whose gaze will take you across.

A single glance from the Satguru can put you on that ship. That is the ship of Naam, the connection to which is given only by the Satguru; it is the very key to salvation. In the book "Bal K a n d [part of the Ram Chari- tra Mansa] written by Tulsidas, it is said in praise of Naam, With or n)ith- out attribute, both are Brahm's zm- age, But I consider Naanz higher. Naam Power is higher than any at- tributed or non-attributed form of God, but indescribable. That is why it is said, How much can 1 say in praise of Naam? Ram himself could not sing its praises. This is a clear comparison of Naam and Ram, show- ing Naam to be higher; for even Lord Raina could not find the words to praise it. 0 Nanak, with devotion read hundreds o f thousands of tons of pa-

per, With limitless ink, write at the speed of the wind: But Your descrip- tion cannot be scribed, 0 Naam The whole world's scriptures would weigh less than one hundred tons, but he speaks of reading many hundreds of thousands of tons of books; of writ- ing as fast as the wind; but Naam cannot be expressed in words. Naam is Naam. All say Naam. Naarn, Naam, but no one has got it: Naant is unique. If you want to start to understand what Naam is, go to the God-real- ized person in whom it is manifested. In his bhandar, that treasure is stored. All other treasure and wealth is per- ishable.

To cease His remembrance. even for a second -

All happiness leaves, and mis- ery results.

Why are we unhappy? 0 Nanak, the whole world is unhappy; Only he is happy who is sustained by the Naam. God is our Life Sustainer, and we are truly happy only when we turn our face toward Him. When we turn away from God, misery enters our lives. Swami Ji Maharaj says, 0 soul. you are unhappy, we know, From the day you deserted the Shabd and bepiend- ed the mind.

That tongue should be bzirned out, which does not repeat the Naam.

The tongue which has never tasted

3 2 SANT BANI

that sweet Nectar is in fact worthless - fit only to be cut out and thrown away. We should be grateful to Him who gave us life and goes on sus- taining us, but we never give this a single thought. Much loved are the glfts, forgotten the Giver; Knows not, gives never a thought to the awaiting death. With this tongue of thought, go on being thankful to Him. The thankless tongue should be burned out.

When the physical crumbles and Death makes his claim, there is naught but misery and regret.

If this important work is not done in this life, the misery will increase with the physical form's decay, when you will go into the keeping of Yama, the Lord of Death. You will then bear the fruit of whatever you sowed dur- ing life, and so around and around the cycle you will continue. But if you rise above the senses and taste the sweet Nectar of Naam, then your coming and going will cease. Living at the sense level will keep you tied to the everlasting chain of births and death, no matter how many good kar- mas you accrue. The jeweled wealth is of the Beyond; it is separate from the senses, and so cannot be realized through them. The Guru who keeps and can give this treasure is very rare. During the life of King Janak, only one could be found in the whole of India - namely Ashtavakra. Sukh-

dev Swami found only one also - King Janak. Of course, the more there are, so much the better for the world. It makes no difference where a real- ized soul lives: in the jungles or in the towns. When you meet a Perfect Master with all attributes, salvation is gained while living, laughing, and wearing or*dinary clothes. He will not advise you to leave home and house- hold duties, but he will say that, out of twenty-four hours each day, set aside two to three hours for this holy purpose. This work must be done as well as the worldly duties, so earn your own living and stand on your own feet.

In olden days, those who re- nounced the world for the spiritual life never collected money for their sustenance, and they had no posses- sions. They ate whenever food was offered them. But these days, this type of life has become a business, and they have started collecting not only goods but money too. It is now some- thing far different from the original purpose, and blind men are leading the blind. This is mainly why the name of gurudom is scorned by the people at large, who are saying that reading the scriptures at home is bet- ter than going to a guru.

"It's mine, it's mine, " they say, but they left without body, wealth, wlfe, or family.

The whole human race is engaged in possessing, but when each soul

April / May 2001

leaves, he takes nothing with him - neither possessions nor people - not even the body, which was his first worldly companion, will accompany him. He has frittered away his whole life's attention.

Without the Naam, all outer riches have no value,

Because they have forgotten the Path.

We are the indweller of the physical form, but have become identified with it, so much so that we have forgotten ourselves. We see, not at the level of soul, but at the body's level. It is a very deep forgetfulness. Rich and poor, literate and illiterate, alike are all in the same state of illusion. The body is made of matter; the world is made of matter; and both are chang- ing at the same rate. Being identified with it, we consider we are still and unchanging. The whole world is suf- fering from two kinds of illusion - jar-maya and chaitan-maya - coarse and subtle types of illusion. We rise out of the clutches of these when some Master-soul brings us above them and opens the spiritual eye and puts us on the Path. Without this, there is no difference in having outer knowledge and not having it; the spir- itual ignorance remains. Actually the man without intellectual learning will succeed more rapidly on the spiritual path, for if he is told, "Go up," he will start without delay or question; but the learned man will stand and

ask, "Why? How many steps are there? What is at the top? I hope I will not slip and fall." This intellec- tual hesitancy will keep him where he is; he will never climb up. How- ever, it is true that he who has learning but does not allow it to stand in the way will be more valu- able than others; but such cases are rare. Outer knowledge is like a gar- land of flowers adorning a realized person, who will explain the Truth in many ways. Such knowledge in an unrealized soul is like a burden on a donkey's head.

By serving the True Master. the Gurumukh n~ill know the Unexpressed.

Become the one who serves 11in1 in whom the Ever-Existent and Imper- ishable Lord is manifested: the Mas- ter. Who can know him? Only a Gu- rumukh. And what is a Gurumukh? He who is one with the Guvu. One fakir has said that the seekers of God have lost Him in the waves of the mind's ocean - in the thoughts of the intellect. Go and seek for some True Master, for the right understand- ing.

Coming and going around the wheel of lije according to the karmas -

Howl can what is written be erased? The law is the law.

What is written comes from the Be-

SANT BANI

yond - one must go through it. Those who have love for the world and its environments will return to it again and again. Good actions will bring them happiness and bad actions misery. Hell, heaven, again and again birth. By rising above the senses and experiencing inner knowledge, one can become neh-karma (free from karmas). For such a person the per- petual wheel of life ceases to turn. The only reason for our continual re- turn to the worldly life is our attach- ment to it. When we love God a lit- tle, it is usually for some worldly gain, and not to realize Him for His own sake. When the God-realized person gives the right understanding he teaches the true values of life, and how to make the best use of every- thing.

Without God's Name there is no freedom, but the Guru's knowledge gives the con- nection.

We cannot realize this Name or Naam by ourselves, for whatever practices we do are at the sense-level. We must depend on the knowledge of the Guru, for life comes from life, and light is lit from light.

Without Him I have no one: He is my life and breath.

He is speaking from experience, for he has seen that everything is sus- tained by the Lord. Being outwardly

scattered, we cannot experience that. The Masters do not speak of them- selves, but their words come from the Lord direct; for they are in con- stant and direct contact with Him. They are joined to the Lord. One fa- kir explains that whatever the Mas- ters say, the Lord Himself is saying, although the words may seem to come from a human throat.

All are consumed in ego, at- tachment, greed and pride;

0 Nanak, meditate upon the Shabd and realize the su- preme unity.

Shabd is the same as Naam. God is Ashabd, but His expression is Shabd. Creation and dissolution come through the Shabd: Through the Shabd comes re-creation. It is the Power behind all creation and disso- lution. There are two kinds of this Shabd, Naam, or Word: one is outer, at the level of the mind and intellect, and one is above these. The latter is the one received by the grace of the Guru. Get the connection to that Shabd, and meditate upon it. The re- sult will be that you will gain a wealth of knowledge, you will gain the greatest of achievements: to know the Music of the Spheres.

This was a hymn of Guru Nanak Sahib, who has very openly tried to teach us the way of right understand- ing and its incalculable value. Now Dhani Dharam Das Ji, who succeeded Kabir. says:

April /May 2001

0 Lord, where have You placed me?

That unchangeable place is where the hans lives, and this is but the play of the Negative.

It is a protest to the Lord. "I am a conscious entity, a soul, and my place is Sat Lok, I am a dweller of the True Home, and yet where am I now? That unchangeable place is where the hans live - those who can differen- tiate Truth from untruth. How have I become trapped in this negative illu- sion?" 0 loved one (soul), yourplace was one of all consciousness, but you have tied yourselfin the matter. Man, there was no matter in your home, for you were the dweller of the pure place; and yet here you are impris- oned in the mud and water. One hun- dred wise men will have but the same thought. Guru Nanak says, You are residing in the Imperishable True Home, and I am lost in perishable matter. So learn to die so that you may begin to live. I fyou yearn for everlasting llfe, then learn to die be- fore death. To learn how to leave the body while living has been the teach- ing of all Masters.

Through theplay ofnirgun and sagun, you got into the clutches of Kal, the Nega- tive Power.

So many people are trying to gain good attributes, or are trying to reach

a stage above attributes. Why not reach that which sustains both nir- gun (without attributes) and sagun (good attributes)? To be without at- tributes is an attribute in itself. so we must go beyond nirgun and sagun, and get connected there. What high thoughts these Masters have - and just see where we are standing!

The imperishable Nectar sus- tains, in the country of the Sat Purush [the True Be- ing].

The place is beyond the circle of Kal and Maha Kal [the forces of the Neg- ative and Greater Negative Powers] where dissolution and grand dissolu- tion does not reach. His name is Sat- guru, who knows the Sat Purush. In whose company the disciple gains salvation: 0 Nanak, sing the praises of God. Also, When the Satguru is met, the eye sees. The Master will make the soul reach to the same stage as himself. He who has become one with the Sat Purush will take the seek- ing souls there also. He who has passed only intermediate cannot teach the B.A. class. He who has transcend- ed Pind is no doubt due some re- spect, but we should see how far be- yond Pind he has gone. It is a great pity that the actual words of the Mas- ters are not always found, for their words are usually collected after they leave the worldly scene. It is even possible that the words of some of the Masters who went on were never

3 6 SANT BANI

found at all. So it is difficult to dis- cover who has reached where. Kabir Sahib says, Do not say that these holy books are lies; Liar is he who does not practice what he reads. If you go within, you will meet those Masters, just as you meet the people here when you come to Delhi.

Dharam Das pleads with fold- ed hands:

0 Lord, take me to Your coun- tuy, I cannot bear this noose of the Lord of Death;

Use any means, but keep Your attention on me.

The world is a place of birth and death - "Take me to my true home, 0 Satguru, it is in Your hands alone." That God Power, the Truth, is work- ing in the human pole of the Satguru. It also works in us all, but has not manifested itself in all men. Wealth, attachment, all are illusion - all a play of Kal. Due to the never-ending disseminations of thought, the world is lost in forgetfdness. Wherever your attention is, so there you will be also, and that is why again and again you must come to the world. The Guru reveals the hole where the secvet is hidden; By closing the doors, the An- had [Unstruck Sound] is heard. When you come to know the Anhad, it means you have succeeded in your

mission. This will be only when you have fully and completely withdrawn from all outer attractions, and have risen above the mind and the senses.

Cut illusion, attachment, and give me Nirvana,

That everlasting place of the ham, which only a few will reach;

Dharam Das pleads with fold- ed hands, to realize his aim and release him from this wheel.

"0 Lord, bless me with that state be- yond the three attributes. This wealth and attachment is dragging me here, again and again. Take me out of it all, and put me in that place which is ever existent and permanent, where very few reach - only those like the ham, those who can differentiate the Truth from untruth." It is his plea to the Satguru's mercy.

This is the teaching of the Mas- ters - the people who have realized the true knowledge. Live wherever you wish; live in your own religion; but make your life good, pure, and righteous. Stay away from the outer senses, the enjoyments. Be fully con- trolled. Sit at the feet of a realized Master and get the contact within. Day by day do the practice and earn progress within. You will be a suc- cess in life.

April /May 2001

Only the Fortunate Ones Obey Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

Working at Master's Ashrams in America, I feel a lot of grace in serving the other satsangis. I ' m wondering what value ... [very poor tape quality: questioner is asking about the relative value of seva and meditation]

Both things - meditation as well as seva - are valuable in their own places.

We should take advantage of any [seva] we can do. Many dear ones do not want to do seva because they say that they feel that it is easier to meditate than to do seva, so they do not take any part in the seva. But when they sit for meditation, they feel that the seva is easier for them to do, and then they again come back to seva. So their minds play such tricks on them and they cannot take any advantage from ei- ther seva or meditation.

You know that in almost all the Ashrams' schedules there is time for meditation, as well as time for seva. We should try to take part in

This question and answer session was given October 3, 1981, at Sant Bani Ashram, Village 16 PS, Raja- sthan, India.

3 8

both things. We should meditate as well as do seva, because both things have their value.

There was an initiate of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj whose name was Bhai Mana. He did not want to do any seva. Moreover, he was not even interested in meditating, and whenever the dear ones would tell him, "Now it is time for you to do seva," he would say, "Why should I obey my equals? Why should I obey my guru bhais (brothers-in- faith)? I don't want to obey you." And whenever the time for medita- tion would come Bhai Mana would think about doing the seva, because he was not interested in meditation either. When his guru bhais would tell him that he should meditate and not think of doing the seva. again he would get upset and he used to say, "Why should I obey you? You are my equals; you are not my Mas- ter. Why should I obey you?"

So the other initiates were very upset by this behavior of Bhai Mana, because he was neither do- ing meditation nor was he doing any seva. So they complained to Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj. Who called Bhai Mana and asked him why he was not doing his medita-

SANT BANI

SHAMAZ MEDITATION RETREAT. POTTER VALLEY. CALIFORNIA, 1980

tion or taking any part in the seva. Bhai Mana replied, "Master, if You tell me to do anything, I will do it. I don't want to obey my brothers, I don't want to obey my equals. Who are they to order me? If You give me any specific order, only then I will do that work." Guru Arjan Dev Ji knew the inner condition of that initiate, because Masters know ev- erything of our mind, of our with- in, and Guru Arjan Dev Ji knew that he would not obey even the words which came directly from the Master. So He told him, "Okay, if you don't want to meditate or do seva, then do one thing. Go out of this village, make a fire, and burn yourself in that fire."

When Bhai Mana heard this or- der, at once he said, "Okay, Mas- ter, whatever You say, I will do that." But in his within he was thinking, "Let me start to leave the village, but Master is so gracious that He will call me back and I will not have to obey this order either." But Guru Arjan Dev did not call him back; He let him go. In front of the other people, Bhai Mana went out of that village, but no- body came to call him back.

So he collected some wood and started a fire. But he was so afraid to jump in that fire that he was not ready to obey the order of the Mas- ter, even though he had told the Master in front of so many people that he would obey Him and burn himself in the fire.

Some time later, a thief came who was being chased by the po- lice, and when he saw that a fire was burning and there was a man standing there thinking what to do, he asked him, "Brother, what is this fire and what are you doing here?'' That initiate [told him that he was an initiate of Guru Arjan Dev] and then told him the whole story. That thief said, "Okay, brother, if you don't want to obey your Master, why don't you give me these words of the Master and I will carry them out? I will obey the orders of the Master and you take the wealth which I have and you go and live happily."

This was what Bhai Mana had wanted: he wanted some excuse, and the excuse was there. He didn't obey the order of his Master and he took the wealth and went away. That thief took the orders of the Master and jumped in the fire and he got liberation. After some time, the police who were looking for the thief came and they found Bhai Mana who had all the wealth sto- len by that thief. You know that whoever has the stolen things is called the thief; because of that Bhai Mana was imprisoned and he was punished.

So because of not obeying the orders of the Master, because of not taking any interest in doing the meditation and taking part in the seva, Bhai Mana had to go to pris- on, and then he repented. But what

SANT BANI

can be done if you don't obey the Master?

[A question about Sant Ji 's eyes, not in English]

My eyes are fine.

When two initiates are married, is the spiritual progress of one de- pendent upon or affected by the progress of the other?

If both partners are satsangis, then it is better for them to get along with each other in their worldly lives, so that they can do their spir- itual work together also. If both of them go in different directions, then it will become difficult and in that case the progress of one person def- initely depends on the other.

Do Saints carry out the orders o f Their Master without necessarily knowing why They 're doing it?

I have served in the army and there is a rule there that whatever order you have been given, it is your duty to carry out that first, and if you have any questions or complaints about it, you have the right to ask only after you have first done your work. In Sant Mat also the same principle applies. In the Path of the Masters, whatever order you get from your Master, it is your duty first to carry that out, and if you have any questions or complaints

or if you want to say anything about that order, you should say that only after you have carried out the or- der. We should start doing the work even before the Master finishes giv- ing His orders, and if we have any complaints or questions, we can come later on and ask the Master. Because Master never gives use- less orders; He tells us to do only those things which are beneficial for us.

Hafiz Sahib, a great poet, said, "If your Master orders you to wash your prayer mat in wine, you should not hesitate in doing that." He said that, no doubt, for the satsangi it is not a good thing even to touch wine, but if your Master is telling you to wash your prayer mat, sitting on which you do your meditation, in wine, you should not hesitate to do that - because Master knows what He has told you to do and He is responsible for your every action. So that is why it is your duty to obey whatever Master has told you to do.

When Hafiz Sahib spoke these words, the orthodox people were all against Him and they said, "Why have you spoken such words? This is against our religion. Why should a devotee of God wash his prayer mat in wine, which is not a good thing? You should give us an ex- planation, or we will throw you out from this community."

In those days justice was in the hands of the kazis (Muslim priests.)

April /May 2001

So one kazi went to Hafiz Sahib and asked Him to explain what He had said. Hafiz Sahib said, "Well, I don't have any explanation for this statement, but if you want to know what I meant you should go and meet a certain Fakir Who lives far away from here on top of a moun- tain." So the kazi went to that Fa- kir. The Fakir was busy in His work, and the kazi asked Him to explain to him the meaning of the statement which Hafiz had made. The Fakir replied, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I don't have any explanation for you, but you will [get your answer] if you visit a certain prostitute in the nearby town." The kazi was surprised, be- cause one Saint was sending him to a Fakir and the Fakir was send- ing him to a prostitute. But still, because the kazi was a good soul and he wanted to know the mean- ing of Hafiz's saying, he decided to go and visit that prostitute.

When the kazi came to that city he went to the prostitute, but at that time the main prostitute was not in her place. The others thought, "A good customer has come," and so they prepared a young lady and sent her to the kazi. The kazi was very old and he was very surprised to see that the young lady did not smile or act like a prostitute. He thought, "If she was a professional prostitute, she would have smiled at me, she would have come and hugged me, she would have tempt-

ed me. But she looks like a good soul; she is a young lady and she also looks sad. Let me ask her who she is." The kazi asked that young lady, "Dear daughter, don't be afraid. Tell me who you are. You don't look like one of the profes- sional prostitutes. Tell me who you are."

That young lady started crying and she said, "Well, I don't know. I was very young when some peo- ple kidnapped me from my village. They have brought me up and to- day is the first time that I have to face a customer. I don't know what punishment I am going to get in the Court of God for this bad deed. I don't know in which fire of hell God will burn me, because up until now I have lived a pure life, a chaste life, and I am not at all in- terested in doing this thing. These people are forcing me to commit adultery with you."

The kazi showed some interest in that young lady and he asked her more about her past life. He asked, "Dear daughter, do you re- member the name of the village where you used to live?" She re- plied, "No, I don't remember exact- ly the name of the village, but it was called something like this." When the kazi heard the name of that village he was surprised, be- cause that was the name of his own village and long ago he had lost his daughter. So he showed more in- terest in her and asked her. "Do

42 SANT BANI

you reniember on which street you used to live'?" She replied. "No. 1 don't remember it exactly. but I think i t lvas something like this." When she said that, thc k a i rcal- ized that she used to live on the same street that he once had. So again. his interest grew and then he asked her, "Do you remember thc name of your father?" She said, "No. I don't remember the name of my father. but he was called some- thing like this." And that was the name of the kazi himself!

\Vhen he realized that she was llobody else but his own daughter, he embraced hcr tind brought her

back to 11er home. But before go- ing back. he w n t to thc Fakir and said, "Yes. now I understand the meaning o f the statement made by that Saint." Anil tinally he went to H a f b and told Ilim, " I t is true that in the bcginning we people didn't understand )'on, w h e n You said that we should \vash our prayer mat in wine. but now I ~~nclerstand, I realize that You n . n ~ ~ i ~ r l rile to meet my iiat~ghter wholrl 1 had Iost long a p . I am very gmtcfi~l to You. Nocv I know that n h a t t l ~ cr the Saints say has meaning behind i t , and we should not tresitatc In obey the or- ders of a Saint. Even though in thc

beginning it may seem foolish, we should not hesitate to carry out the orders of the Master. Even if we don't know the meaning of the or- der, still we should carry out that order."

The meaning of telling this sto- ry is that whenever you get any or- der from the Master, whether you know if it is beneficial for you or not, even if it goes against your wishes, you should obey it - be- cause Master is responsible for us and He knows what is best for us. He is responsible for us. That is why we should always obey the or- ders of the Master without making any complaints and without asking any questions until we have done the work.

But the problem is that our mind is standing between us and the Mas- ter. Whenever we get any orders from the Master, our mind presents many arguments and he does not let us carry out the orders of the Master. So whenever you get any order from the Master, you should not let your mind stand between you and the Master. You should carry out that order, because whatever Master has told you is good for you and if you will obey Him you will definitely get good results from it.

Once Guru Nanak Sahib thought, "Let me see if there is any dear one in the sangat who obeys me." He took some of His disci- ples and put all of them to the test. You know that the heart of the one

to whom the Master has to give the responsibility of all the souls should be pure; Master first prepares that heart and only then He [fills it]. So Guru Nanak Sahib once took some of His disciples outside, and on the way they came across a dead body. Guru Nanak Sahib stopped all His disciples and said, "Well, is there anybody who will eat this dead body?" Nobody obeyed Him, no- body said, "Yes." But then when Guru Nanak Sahib said to Bhai Leh- na, "Well, Bhai Lehna, what about you?," Bhai Lehna, who later on became Guru Angad, said "As you wish, Master." And then He started going around the body. Guru Nan- ak Sahib asked him, "Well, what is the matter? Why are you going around the body? Why are you not eating the dead body?" He replied, "Master, I'm just trying to figure out from which direction I should start eating this dead body." So Bhai Lehna was ready to obey the orders of the Master, and with His grace, Guru Nanak Sahib turned that dead body into parshad, and then the other people also felt bad. They were very embarrassed that they didn't obey the orders of the Master and they repented. But Bhai Lehna who did not hesitate in obey- ing the order of the Master got ev- erything from Him.

Another time, when Guru Nan- ak Sahib was walking with His sons and some of His disciples. there was an empty bowl in the dirt and

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Guru Nanak Sahib wanted that bowl. He told His sons to go and get that bowl out of the dirt, but they were dressed in white clothes and they didn't want to get their clothes dirty. So they said, "Why don't You order your other seva- dars? There are so many people who can do this work." When Bhai Lehna heard that, he at once went in the dirt and brought out that bowl, and as a result [of always obeying] he became the favorite of Guru Nanak.

You can read the history of any Saint and you will find the same thing - that only those who obeyed the orders of their Master and mold- ed their lives according to the in- structions of the Master got every- thing and became successful in their Path.

I have said this many times, that when I used to go to Baba Bishan Das He used to mistreat me, He used to slap me. Whatever salary I used to earn in the army I would bring that and give that to Baba Bishan Das, and whatever 1 used to get from my farm I used to bring that also to the feet of Baba Bishan Das. And in return He always used to abuse me, He always used to slap me -- but I did not get upset at Him. Just imagine, if I had gotten upset at Him, if I had said, "Well, I am giving You so many things and what am I getting in return?" I would have not become His disci- ple, and He would have not given

me anything. You know that be- cause I did not complain and did whatever He wanted me to do, He gave me everything He had at the time of His departure. He did not hide anything He had from me.

You know that many great peo- ple used to live around Master Kir- pal, great kings, very learned peo- ple, politicians and many other people used to live around Master Kirpal. They all wanted to take ad- vantage of being around the Mas- ter, because Master was very pop- ular and many politicians and many great people used to come to Him. At that time He told me that I should sit inside the room and I should meditate. He said that I should not come out; there was no need for me to go and attend any conferences. It was very difficult to obey that order, because who does not want to be praised and who does not want to be known in the world? Everybody who was around the Master tried his best to show other people that he was a very close associate of Master, that he was very intimate and close with Master Kirpal. At that time, the mind plays such tricks that nobody wants to sit for meditation when other people are being praised and are brought into the limelight. But those who [always] obey the orders of the Masters, only they gain a lot.

If the Master says that you should close your eyes, and if in-

April / May 2001

stead of closing your eyes, you say, "Well, will You give me something if I close my eyes?" it means that you are not a true disciple of the Master, because you do not have any faith in the Master. But if qui- etly you close your eyes and let Master do His work, you will get a lot from the Master. You know that Master told me to close my eyes to the world and do my meditation. He told me, "You do not need to open your eyes. Whenever I want I will come and make you leave off the meditation." And I did that. And because of the grace of the Master which I earned through that work, you know that all the prophecies which were made by Master Kirpal are coming true. He said that peo- ple would come from far away to see me, that they would make me fly in the air, and that the fragrance from me would reach many people. Only because of the obedience to His commandments, all His proph- ecies are conling true, and what- ever is happening now is all hap- pening because of His grace.

I had never been to Delhi, I had never gone to America or England, and I didn't know anybody; I didn't even know Pappu's family. But you know that it is all because of the words spoken by the Master that people from different parts of the world are drawn to Rajasthan and they all are coming here.

Kabir Sahib says, "Even if you meditate sitting underground, the

fruit of it will be manifested in the sky and you will become famous all over."

Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says? "The devotee of God who remem- bers Him eight watches a day [con- tinuously], does not remain hidden. He becomes well known all over."

Mahatmas tell us that if you want to be successful in Sant Mat, first of all you obey the orders of your Master.

Dear Ones, if you want to please your Master, you have to create the longing within you.

You will have to cut the grass and you will have to give pain to your body. You will even have to carry a basket of mud on your head, if you want to please the Master.

We can enter the world of love only when we cut [off] our head and place it on our palm. We can go through the narrow street of love only if we finish ourselves.

Master does not give any wrong orders; He does not say any use- less things. You should know that Master gives His full attention only to those to whom He wants to give something.

Many people in the sangat sit in front of the Master. but when Mas- ter says something, only the fortu- nate ones obey His words. The oth- er people just keep sitting there without responding to anything which the Master is saying.

Many people in the sangat were sitting in front of Master when He

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said that those who want to see God should raise their hands. Many peo- ple raised their hands. Some even raised both their hands. And then Master told them to close their eyes. Everybody closed their eyes except me, so they complained to Master that I was not closing my eyes. When Master asked me, I said, "Well, You said that those who want to see God should close their eyes. But what if one can see God without closing his eyes? I know that my Master is my God and when I am seeing You with my open eyes, then why should I close my eyes?" Master was very happy with me and He said, "Yes, you have understood my secret."

Not everybody can obey the or- ders of the Master. Only he who has a heart of iron can obey the orders of the Master.

Master is equally gracious on all, He is equal for everybody, and He wants to give the same thing to ev- erybody, but it also depends on the receiver. Master often used to say that the Giver has no problem; all the problems are with the ones who have to receive.

I have often said these words: "Why am I so grateful to my Mas- ter Kirpal? Why do I always sing the songs of thankfulness and grate- fulness to Him?" For this reason only - suppose that you have lost a lot of gold, that you have a lot of gold in your home and you are not able to find it. If someone

comes to help you, and with his help you are able to take out that gold and lead a comfortable life, whom will you thank? You will definitely thank the person who came to help you and who helped you to find that gold, because you already had the gold, but you did not know where it was lying.

In the same way, God was al- ready within me, but I did not know how to manifest Him, I did not know how to realize Him. I was separated from that God long ago. I don't know how many ages I spent without realizing Him. how many lives I spent without realizing Him, but when Master Kirpal came to me, He helped me to realize that God Who was long-separated from me, and He made me realize that God Who was very much within me, but I was not aware of Him. So whom should I thank? That is why I always thank my Master Kir- pal Who helped me to realize God, because God was already within me, but it was Master Kirpal who helped me to realize Him.

[Sant J i makes a general an- nouncement here.]

Almost daily I am [telling] all the dear ones that it is very impor- tant for all of you to take good care of your health.

You know that [it is not very late when] you are served dinner, so you should not go to bed very late. If you will go to bed early, you will be able to get up at three

April /May 2001 47

o'clock, after getting enough sleep, enough rest for your body. Our body also needs that much sleep and rest because for the whole day we have to use it for doing the med- itation.

The other thing is that when you eat lunch, after that you should not meditate for at least two hours, or even more than that. You should let the food digest and then sit for meditation. This is very important. This will help you in keeping good health.

During the 1977 Tour when I [met with] people who had the problem of not being regular in their practices, I told them to make a per- fect schedule of their day-to-day life so that they would know when they have to get up for meditation, when they have to eat their breakfast, when they have to take a bath, when they have to go to their office, and like that. And those who followed those schedules are doing well in their meditation as well as in their worldly lives.

Here also you know that we have everything on a schedule. We do everything at a fixed time. At three o'clock we ring the bell; at six o'clock you get tea; then we have meditation from seven to eight; then we get breakfast; then we have free time in which we can meditate more or do anything we want. We have a fixed time for the interviews, and we have a fixed time for lunch. and

so on. So because of this fixed schedule we are able to do what- ever we are supposed to do over here. So I would like to tell you that you should stick to the sched- ule and you should do things ac- cording to the schedule. Even when you go back to your home you should make a schedule, one con- venient to you, according to your daily routine of work. If you will do this you will get a lot of help in maintaining [regular meditations].

The other thing that I would like to tell you is that the food which is served here is different than the food you are used to: it is a little bit heavier and it needs a little bit of extra time to digest. So don't eat too much. Eat only as much as you need. I would say that you should eat a little bit less than you really need. This will help you to keep your digestion working smoothly.

As far as the purity of the food is concerned, you should know that the wheat which is served to you, which we use in making the chapa- tis, is grown in this field and we don't use fertilizers. we don't use any chemicals. And in the same way, the jaggery [raw sugar] which we use in the tea is also made here without any chemicals. We also try to grow other things here, such as vegetables, when they are in sea- son and we don't use many chemi- cals on them. So we try our best to maintain your health.

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